


praemia virtutis honores

by TenMinuteLove (inkwellAnomaly)



Series: the night sky's song [1]
Category: Evillious Chronicles
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character Study
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-25 10:08:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20375032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkwellAnomaly/pseuds/TenMinuteLove
Summary: Seven souls, tainted by the seven virtues.—EC Virtues AU ft. immortal Adam and continually-reincarnating Eve.





	1. humilitas — ney phutapie / gretel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This is a mini-project that started out as a speculation of which gods would fit the Seven Virtues.
> 
> For reference, here they are:
> 
> Chastity - Levia  
Temperance - Luna  
Humility - TALOS  
Diligence - Gumillia  
Kindness - Michaela  
Charity - Behemo  
Patience - Held

I am my mother's tool. Her blade with which to cut into the night, to dye the black with crimson. I am her servant, her soldier, her agent. She is my duty, my light, my reason. Everything that I do, everything that I am, it is for her. Without her, I am nothing.

I carry out her will, and exist solely for her. Even when she is across the ocean, I see her with the telescope of my heart. She loves me, and rewards me for my loyalty. By the light of the great moon, I will always find my way home to her.

Praise. Praise and worship her. Praise and worship my great mother. The wondrous, magnificent, beautiful Empress Dowager. Let her blinding radiance consume you. Offer her your devotion, and she will treat you well. She knows the way to utopia; I am but the driver of her advancing chariot.

All who will not kneel to her will be cut down. Yes, I will teach you all to know your place. I will teach you all 'humility'.


	2. patientia — gammon octo

Welcome to Evil’s Theater.

I have many names, although as of late, I am the ‘Gardener’.

The theater’s clocktower is quite loud, no? The handbeat reverberates, turning us all into madmen. But even without it, I am aware of every second ticking by. And at the same time, I know I have all the time in the world. Or rather, I will soon.

Time is a tricky thing.

To illustrate my point, I shall take something simple. Say, a book. A book has a beginning, middle and end. Time is more circuitous than that. It weaves and intercepts and breaks away. Each sequence of events is but a branch of a never-ending tree. Infinite branches on an infinitely-large tree, to the point that you’re pretty sure that what you’re staring at is more like a forest.

I am the Gardener of the tree of reality. I prune its branches, keep it healthy, decide which parts of it grow. Yes, I am the only one with the capability to do so. After all, why trust anyone other than a gardener to grow something?

I know quite a lot. My knowledge is the source of my skill as Gardener. I know all of these things because I have visions. Visions of the future, or rather, the distant past. It’s hard to speak in definites when broaching the subject of time. Such arbitrary divisions are there to simply delineate what is otherwise indivisible. For your mortal mind’s sake, I will make things as clear as possible. But again, to convey this all to you, dear visitor, would be tantamount to untangling a mass of infinitely-many, interlocking branches.

In any case, it’s time for everything to go back. Yes, go back to the beginning. This thousand-year story will return to its prologue. But, as I said, it’s hard to say where the beginning ends and the ending begins. Allow me to simplify: this is the story of the beginning. Now, from where shall I tell? My name is Gammon Octo, the greatest prophet this world, nay, this universe has ever seen.

Dear visitor, won’t you stay? It seems you’ve run out of time, even though you’ve had an infinite amount since you’ve gotten here. Infinity in the span of a second, just as infinity exists in the space between one and zero.

Time will turn back, and the world will be reborn. I will fix everything. I will rewrite the story, and remake it into one where a happy ending is possible. I am not only the Gardener, I am the Playwright.

Alright you twins, your debut on the stage begins now.


	3. castitas — mikulia greeonio

By the power of this angel, I’ve been given a new life.

I am free. I am clean. I am pure.

I am whole once again.

Yes, her words are correct. Her words are a sweet melody that tickles my ears.

I have left it all behind. My life in Abito, and my life at that wretched brothel. I am beginning anew. A woman should be allowed to reinvent herself, no? It’s such a wonderful blessing, this chastity. I feel like I’ve been reborn.

A flower absolutely must be pure.

A flower absolutely must be pure.

A flower absolutely must be pure.

Now, I shall go look for the other flowers.

And make them pure as well.


	4. humanitas — mei miroku

My children are gone. They are nowhere to be found.

So, the inhabitants of this town… they will be my children instead.

A mother sings a lullaby to help her children sleep. Her voice spins a melody with the notes, stringing them together as if they were pieces of thread. Even if her voice is not the best, she will sing. For the sake of her children.

I am the lullaby that rises from the clockwork and brings hope to humanity. With this singing voice, I will heal the hearts of these poor folk.

I will open my home, and with it, my heart. I will give shelter to the weary and ease their burdens. My teapot will forever be full, and will pour itself out for the hungry, the needy, the helpless. My hearth, forever burning, my table, forever set. These people, no matter what age, are all children inside. I will be their mother. I will be the light of their homes. I will tend to them, feed them, wrap them in warm clothing.

That’s what a good mother does, right?

* * *

At Enbizaka’s execution grounds, a crowd was gathered. Some laughed, others cried. On the scaffold was a woman.

For some, she was a criminal. To others, she was a saint. For others still, she was a madwoman. There was no way of knowing who was right.

A lone boy came forward, clutching a katana. Although the woman was blindfolded, she could easily tell who it was.

“Kokutan?”

“--Yes, Mei?”

“Even in the end… ha ha. You’re always so formal. I’d like it if, just once more, you called me ‘Mother’.”

“--!”

“Well, goodbye… son.”

With tears in his eyes, the lone boy raised his sword.

“Goodbye, Mother…!”

* * *

_~ The Notes of a Certain Missionary ~_

_Miroku Mei was an interesting case._

_Bereft of a family, she found herself with an empty home and a husband growing more and more distant with each passing day._

_The townsfolk were also her family. She wanted to help them. Her precious “family”._

_What was going on in her mind, I wonder? It’s impossible to tell. One thing I can be sure of, is that it’s the work of that malignant Angel of Kindness. It warped her mind, with her desire to care going to the extreme of solving people’s problems for them. Of taking on their burden._

_That’s how the murders started._

_Anyone who had heartache, anyone in conflict, she decided to resolve those things. Cheating business partners, unfaithful husbands, delinquent children, unfair employers. No one was safe from her and her “kindness”._

_To describe the state in which her victims were found would be too much for me. Let’s just say she used her expertise as a doctor’s daughter and leave it at that. I still shudder thinking about seeing those bodies._

_In the end, she was discovered, arrested, and executed in accordance with the shogunate’s laws. But… I saw her. She seemed happy, like her mission was fulfilled._

_If I were to hazard a guess, she desired to fill the void left by her children. And maybe that void would never be satisfied, no matter how hard she tried to “care” for the other townspeople. They were not her family, maybe she knew that deep down._

_As for her husband, well..._


	5. caritas — gandalf marlon

Give.

Give until you are down to your last cent. Your last drop. Your last fiber of being. Squeeze it out of yourself, purge it, offer everything you can. The world is worth more than your selfish little wants. The greater good, the good of the people, will always take priority over you. When the time of judgment comes, how will you plead, if you have not devoted your life to virtue? Your sins will be weighed on the scales of justice, and the gods will find you overdrawn.

But not if you are charitable. That is my philosophy. Generosity is the best lawyer in Heaven.

Don’t look at me with such contempt. I did what I had to. So what if he looked at me with such pleading eyes as I led him up the mountain of corruption? History will remember me as the one who made the ultimate sacrifice. “For he so loved the world that he gave his only son,” they will say in the textbooks. Generations a thousand years from now will remember me as that. The Father, the one who provides.

I am the Good Shepherd, and, to save the world, I have slaughtered the Lamb.


	6. temperantia — megour conchita

My daughter, it is time you learned about the country you live in. After all, it is you who will inherit the position of duke from your father, and not I. You will be a great duke, I believe. After all, you are my daughter. You are strong. You were born to achieve greatness. I have very high hopes for you. You will attain great heights, ones the world has never seen before. This is because you are my child, and I have great faith in you. Now, don’t disappoint Mommy, alright?

I’m sorry, I got sidetracked. It’s now time for your geography lesson. The world we inhabit is divided into countries, with lines on the map marking their borders. Ideally, these countries should all be equal, right? Sadly, this is not the case. The country we live in, Beelzenia, is like a ravenous animal, preying upon weaker territories, devouring them and absorbing them into its flesh. How horrible, no? And yet, we benefit from this injustice because we are in a position of power. Even though we are a family that practices temperance, that is not true for the other noble families. Take Duke Oruhari! That man drinks and feasts like there’s no tomorrow, while the commoners living right next to his estate barely scraping by, eking out a meager living for themselves.

That, my dear daughter, is unfair. It’s simply not right. What can we do about it, you ask? Ha ha, you’re quite the sharp one. You’ve taken after me.

This empire is a bloated pig that grows larger and larger every day, gorging itself on resources and territory. What we will do is destroy it from the inside. Liberate the people, I say! We will butcher this boar and cut it up, so that all may partake of its meat. The streets will run red with blood. That, my dear daughter, is true justice. True equality. What about us, you ask? Well, it’s simple. Once this empire is fractured and divvied up, we will live amongst the common people. We will share in the common blessings, and have a feast where all are welcome at the table. We will restore balance to the world, Banica. You and I.

I’m counting on you.


	7. industria — lucina corpa / elluka chirclatia

The stars watch us from up above. However, they do not grant miracles. One cannot wish upon them. One must work to achieve their dreams.

Humans work late into the night. I am no exception.

I will toil again today. Until the sun goes down and the stars come out. The stars cannot see me, cannot tempt me with complacence, for the smoke from the factory obscures the night sky above me. I will work until my body gives out, until my bones grind into dust. And then, I will work some more. Only when I have achieved my goal shall I be able to rest.

The children work as well. They are useful assets. Diligence is its own reward, I tell them. It would do them well to follow my example. They must obey, for my ambition is a great one. For the sake of eradicating HER, I destroy, and I destroy again. What was I supposed to do, watch carelessly from the afterlife while it ravaged our world? I think not. By the power of the sun goddess, I’ve been given a new life, and I intend to use it right.

The experiments continue. My factory is only a front. Good technology is hard to come by in this era, and so I must make do with what I have. Thank goodness for that laboratory. On the night of the full moon, my next procedure will begin, the scent of reagent driving me mad.

Oh? Have my robes always been this red?


	8. (clementia — adam moonlit)

**CH. 1-EPILOGUE**  
_Praemia Virtutis Honores_ infomine under the cut.

_Scene 1_

  * Recap of how, thanks to the weapon Atonement, the world was destroyed. Now everyone’s wandering the Third Period as a ghost.
  * Marie, the Master of the Heavenly Yard, instructs Adam to go down to the ground world, but she doesn’t say what for. Adam has a hunch that she wants him to reunite with his wife, whom he’s been chasing for the past one thousand years.
  * Recap on Eve. She took in the god fragments, making her reincarnate every century or so. She’s lived through the centuries as various people, getting caught up in the events caused by the vessels of virtue. Each time, Adam just barely misses her.
  * Adam arrives, and looks around the wasteland. He arrives in Marlon, where Salem is, waiting in the form of an owl. He’s perched on a tree. Salem greets him, and says they shall now begin, summoning the seven vessels.

_Scene 2_

  * It’s briefly explained how the vessels of virtue work. Inside them dwell angels, who, despite their name, actually lead humans to chaos by forging covenants with them. Many events in Evillious’ history have been caused by the angels’ hosts.
  * Eve, in her reincarnation as Mikulia Greeonio, was one of them, abducting women from all over Asmodean to join her cult. Thanks to Adam, Cherubim and Lukana, they were able to stop them from poisoning themselves, although Mikulia killed herself before Adam could get to her.
  * In front of Adam are the seven vessels: a shell pendant, a sickle, a telescope, a wheel, a teapot, a set of scales, and a trowel. He takes the first, the pendant. Levia, the Angel of Chastity, appears, and tells him Eve’s currently missing.
  * Adam asks what he’s supposed to be doing, and Levia projects a hologram of Evil’s Theater. It should have been destroyed by Atonement, but it’s been rebuilt. it's currently floating over the Witch Forest in Elphegort.

**CH. 2-THE HEROES**  
_Praemia Virtutis Honores_ infomine under the cut.

_Scene 1_

  * Lucina (that’s what the narration calls Elluka Chirclatia) kicks up a stink as she’s dragged into the underworld by the Master of the Hellish Yard. She’s eventually set down, where there are three other people are waiting: Ney, Gandalf and Mei.
  * The Master takes off her mask. She has green hair. Lucina notes that she’s Megour Glassred, the one who instigated a revolution in the Beelzenian Empire, causing several territories to break away and declare independence. Megour confirms this, sounding sad.
  * Mei asks Megour what they’re all doing there. Megour says she can’t say, but that the gods instructed her to do what she’s doing.
  * Gandalf notes that they’re all prominent figures from history, and reasons they’re all there because they’ve entered covenants with angels. Therefore, Megour is trying to protect them from the Tasan Party, who seems to be capturing the practitioners of virtue.
  * Gandalf suddenly pulls out a gun and fires at them. Ney dodges, but Mei, Megour and Lucina get hit. There’s a flash of light, and he’s gone.

_Scene 2_

  * Ney helps the others get up. Even though they’re souls, they’re still hurt. She declares that she’s going to Evil’s Theater to stop Gandalf and Gammon, who’s likely there as well. The narration notes that she’s doing this out of her own pride, rather than serving someone.
  * Mei says she’s coming along, wanting to help. It’s really in her nature to meddle, and also because Ney looks a bit like her daughter. She can also use spell songs due to her covenant with Michaela, the Angel of Kindness.
  * Lucina also declares her support, saying she can’t just stand by and watch. She hates just watching. She can also perform the Clockwork Secret Art, which can help in dealing with the Tasan soldiers.
  * Megour says she wants to help as well, feeling responsible as the new Master of the Hellish Yard. However, she still has to meet up with an acquaintance, so she’ll have to catch up later. She can help them, though, and opens a portal to the ground world with a wave of her hand.
  * Ney, Mei and Lucina walk through.

**CH. 3-THE END OF THE CAPRICCIO**  
_Praemia Virtutis Honores_ infomine under the cut.

_Scene 1_

  * The Tasan soldiers are currently guarding the space below Evil’s Theater. Some of them are bored.
  * They hear singing. It’s Mei. They fire, but their bullets slow down and freeze in mid-air before they hit her. Lucina reveals herself beside Mei and laughs, saying they can’t counter her Clockwork Secret Art.
  * An uproar erupts from among the soldiers’ ranks. Some of them double over, having been stabbed. Ney dispels her invisibility (an ability from her contract with the Angel of Humility) and says they’ve been defeated.
  * Before the soldiers can react, Mei sprouts feathered wings and scoops up Ney and Lucina, flying them up to Evil’s Theater.

_Scene 2_

  * Mei muses on being a resident of the theater. She was formerly the Master of the Graveyard, taking care of the other residents and cooking them lavish meals.
  * Gandalf appears before them and beckons them down the hall. Ney moves to attack him, but Lucina cautions her, saying that he seems to just want to talk.
  * They head down the hall and into the director’s office.

_Scene 3_

  * Recap on the theater and its inhabitants. Gammon founded the theater, having gotten his hands on Gallerian’s vessels.
  * Ney, Mei and Lucina arrive. Gammon is there, sitting in the director’s chair. He begins explaining his plan: to get the irregular twins Cain and Abel to invoke the Court ending of the Four Ends and transport all the souls on the ground world to a repeat of the Third Period. Basically they’re doing everything over.
  * Gammon says launching Atonement all over the world was just the first phase of the plan. Everything leads up to this. He says he’s giving the world a second chance, as the practitioner of Patience.
  * Gandalf declares he’s been working with Gammon. He stresses that, in order to gain things, one must make sacrifices. That’s how Charity works.
  * Megour bursts in, saying she’s brought her colleague (Adam) to them to fix this mess, and that he’s on his way to them. She tells Gammon they’re going to stop his plan from coming to fruition.
  * A voice comes from the interior room, agreeing that Gammon’s plan won’t be pushing through. Instead, everything has gone according to their plan. The interior room’s door opens, and out comes a blinding light.

**CH. 4-THE PURE VIRTUE**  
_Praemia Virtutis Honores_ infomine under the cut.

_Scene 1_

  * Adam finally gets to the theater’s entrance hall, having fought through Gammon’s goons to get there. Gammon, however, is currently missing. So is Megour.
  * The door to the director’s office opens, and out steps a person. They’re glowing very brightly, so Adam can’t make out their face.
  * The person says that, with the power of the virtues, they’ve finally become pure. A flower absolutely must be pure. It’s Eve.
  * Eve tells him that she will stop Gammon’s plan to repeat everything. She says a second chance won’t necessarily make everything better. She will remake the world as something completely different, based on her decision alone.
  * She says she’s doing this to save everyone. She’s already defeated Gammon and taken him into herself. She’s also taken in the other five practitioners, giving her the power of the seven virtues.
  * Adam takes a step towards her, but Eve tells him not to interfere. She’s doing it for them, to make a utopia for them and their children. She sprouts wings and flies out of the theater.

_Scene 2_

  * The narration says that Adam, despite everything he’s done, is no hero. He’s just a man who wants to be with his wife again.
  * Behemo arrives (still in his sheep form). He says that Eve’s concentrated power is threatening to destroy the world. Being the Angel of Charity, he urges Adam to make a sacrifice - kill her, for the greater good. Although he admits that, as a member of the Second Period, it’s not his choice to make. It’s Adam’s.
  * Adam notes that, outside, it’s begun to rain. He takes up his sword, and mutters (to no one in particular) that the rain will stop soon enough.

**CH. 5-REUNION**  
_Praemia Virtutis Honores_ infomine under the cut.

_Scene 1_

  * Outside in the rain, Eve is crying. She’s giving off seven-colored light, trying to contain the other six practitioners inside of her. On top of the overwhelming memories of her previous lives, she’s wondering who she is and what she wants to do. One memory rings out: she wants to do good. She wants to be a good person.
  * She notices a force field rising above her. It’s made by Salem’s forest spirits. She blasts it with magic to break through and it succeeds, creating a hole. However, it quickly patches itself up.
  * Outside the force field she can see people from different eras, gathered around her. She tells them to stay back, and that she’s saving them, whether they like it or not.
  * Eve starts breaking under the pressure, asking “Who am I?” repeatedly.
  * A Netsuma girl steps through the barrier. It’s Hakua.

_Scene 2_

  * Hakua talks to Eve, saying she remembers how she took her in after she was left homeless. For her, Eve is a beloved friend. She is Mikulia Greeonio.
  * The old thief (from Megour’s era) says he remembers teaching her the ways of thievery, and how she was able to gain notoriety as Phantom Thief Platonic. For him, Eve is his best student. She is Magdalena Calgaround.
  * Kyle Marlon is next, saying how he learned to paint because of her. And that, even though he lost his passion, he still kept painting until the end of his life. For him, Eve is a cherished teacher. She is Margaret Celeste.
  * Rin Chan steps forward, recalling how Eve adopted her out of the goodness of her heart, and saved her from a life of poverty in the orphanage. Eve paid for her singing lessons, and she went on to be a famous diva. For her, Eve is a gentle mother. She is Margarita Felix.
  * Perrié is next. She says, before everything fell to chaos, she enjoyed having her around as a supplier. She valued her friendship with Eve, even if it was under false terms. For her, Eve is a treasured business partner. She is Izumi Hatsune.
  * Gusuma comes up. He adored having Eve around, saying it brightened up their home. He says she also made to be a great Yarera, and cites how she grew their business to the point of almost taking over Aceid. For him, Eve is a precious niece. She is Michelle Yarera.
  * Eve stops for a moment. She doesn’t know what to say.
  * Adam is last. He says he’s not sure if Eve remembers him after everything, but he affirms that, after all this time, he still loves her. For him, Eve is his wife. She is his everything.
  * Eve cries pent-up tears. The narration wonders how long it’s been since she’s cried, musing that it’s been centuries. Adam runs up to her and pulls her into an embrace. They can hear everyone in the Third Period singing for them.

_Scene 3_

  * Everything dyes white. The narration notes that Adam and Eve have finally reunited, and that it’s best to give them a bit of privacy.


End file.
